The field of the invention is that of electrical devices having electrically conductive members secured in selected position in a thermoplastic body and relates more particularly to electrical connectors having contact members mounted in an electrically insulating body for use in mounting integrated circuit units on a circuit board.
Conventional connector products used for detachably mounting integrated circuit units on a printed circuit board or panel comprise a molded body of an electrically-insulating, thermoplastic material having rows of body apertures extending through the body. Electrically conductive metal contact members are disposed in the respective apertures to receive and resiliently engage terminals from the i.c. unit which are inserted into the body apertures from one side of the body. Terminal portions of the contact members extend from the apertures at the opposite sides of the connector body to be received in mounting holes in a printed circuit board and to be soldered to circuit pads on the circuit board. In that arrangement, i.c. terminals are detachably engaged by the connector contact members to be connected in the circuit on the circuit board and are easily and safely assembled in the circuit or removed for replacement if desired.
Typically the electrically conductive metal contact members have barbs which are pressed into the connector body materials in the body apertures for securing the contact members in the body. Typically various means are also used to prevent wicking of the solder or solder flux materials or the like into the resilient portions of the contact members through the body apertures during soldering of the contact members to circuit paths on a circuit board. Frequently however the securing of the contact members in the apertures can cause damage to the contact members or can result in contact members or portions of the connector body being subjected to excessive stress, particularly where a large number of connector members are to be mounted in the connector at the same time so that substantial force is required for forcing the contact members into the body apertures. It would be desirable if the connector body and contact members were free of excessive stresses and could be manufactured in a convenient and inexpensive manner to have the contact members disposed in selected positions in the body apertures without requiring additional means for preventing wicking into the connector body apertures.